Bead-based analysis of a sample
A method includes attaching two or more beads to each unit of one or more units of a chemical component in a sample, to form, for each unit of the chemical component, a multi-bead complex including two or more beads and the unit of the chemical component; placing the sample on a surface of an image sensor; at the image sensor, receiving light originating at a light source, the received light including light reflected by, refracted by, or transmitted through the beads of the multi-bead complexes; at the image sensor, capturing one or more images of the sample from the received light; and identifying, in at least one of the images of the sample, separate multi-bead complexes, the identifying of the separate multi-bead complexes including associating the two or more beads of each of the multi-bead complexes based on proximity to one another.
1. An apparatus comprising:
an image sensor having
an array of light sensitive elements at a sensor surface, and
a first surface; and
one or more processors configured to:
cause the image sensor to capture one or more images of a sample disposed on the first surface, wherein the sample comprises a unit of a chemical component, the unit of the chemical component bound to a first attachment unit and a second attachment unit,
wherein the first attachment unit is attached to a bead, and
wherein the second attachment unit is
attached at a location on the first surface, or
attached at a location on a second surface, wherein, when the second attachment unit is attached at the location on the second surface, the second surface comprises an upper surface with respect to the first surface of the apparatus, the upper surface facing the first surface,
such that the bead is attached to the first surface or the second surface through the unit of the chemical component, and
wherein the array of light sensitive elements is disposed and structured to capture the one or more images based on light originating at a light source, reflected by, refracted by, or transmitted through the bead, and received at the array of light sensitive elements at the sensor surface, and wherein the array of light sensitive elements has a pixel spacing that is smaller than 5 μm,
receive, from the image sensor, data representative of the captured one or more images of the sample disposed on the first surface,
identify the bead in at least one image of the one or more images of the sample,
identify, in the at least one image of the one or more images of the sample, the location at which the second attachment unit is attached on the first surface or on the second surface based on the identification of the bead, and
bound to the chemical component which is bound to the first attachment unit attached to the bead, a presence or a level of the chemical component in the sample.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second attachment unit is attached to the first surface, and wherein the first surface comprises the sensor surface.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 , comprising the second surface,
wherein the second surface is a surface of a lid that defines a gap occupied by the sample, and
wherein the second attachment unit is attached to the second surface.
4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the second surface is arranged to form a layer of the sample with a thickness in a range from 1 μm to 100 μm between the second surface and the sensor surface.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first attachment unit and the second attachment unit comprise antibodies.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first attachment unit and the second attachment unit comprise antigens from a pathogen, and wherein the unit of the chemical component comprises an antibody to the pathogen.
7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the pathogen comprises a virus.
8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second attachment unit is printed on the first surface or the second surface.
9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a plurality of attachment units, including the second attachment unit, are attached at respective locations on the first surface or the second surface, the respective locations forming an array.
10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the sample comprises whole blood of a human or animal.
11. An apparatus comprising:
an image sensor having
an array of light sensitive elements at a sensor surface, and
a surface; and
one or more processors communicatively coupled to the image sensor, configured to:
cause the image sensor to use the array of light sensitive elements to capture one or more images of a sample disposed on the surface, wherein the sample comprises a plurality of multi-bead complexes, each multi-bead complex of the plurality of multi-bead complexes comprising two or more respective beads attached to a respective unit of a chemical component, and
wherein the array of light sensitive elements is disposed and structured to capture one or more images based on light originating at a light source and reflected by, refracted by, or transmitted through the two or more respective beads of each multi-bead complex and received at the array of light sensitive elements at the sensor surface, and wherein the array of light sensitive elements has a pixel spacing that is smaller than 5 μm,
receive, from the image sensor, data representative of the captured one or more images of the sample disposed on the surface,
measure, in at least one image of the one or more images of the sample, a proximity to one another of the two or more respective beads of at least two different multi-bead complexes of the plurality of multi-bead complexes, and
identify, in the at least one image, two or more separate multi-bead complexes based on the measured proximity to one another of the two or more respective beads of the at least two different multi-bead complexes.
12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to identify a presence or a level of the chemical component in the sample, based on the identification of the two or more separate multi-bead complexes.
13. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to enumerate a number of the plurality of multi-bead complexes in the sample.
14. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the sample comprises attachment units, and wherein, for each multi-bead complex comprising two or more respective beads attached to the respective unit of the chemical component,
two or more respective attachment units are bound to the respective unit of the chemical component, and
each attachment unit of the two or more respective attachment units is bound to at least one bead of the two or more respective beads,
such that each multi-bead complex of the plurality of multi-bead complexes comprises the two or more respective beads, the two or more respective attachment units, and the respective unit of the chemical component.
15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the two or more respective attachment units of each multi-bead complex of the plurality of multi-bead complexes comprise antibodies.
16. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the two or more respective attachment units of each multi-bead complex of the plurality of multi-bead complexes comprise antigens from a pathogen, and
wherein the respective unit of the chemical component of each multi-bead complex of the plurality of multi-bead complexes comprises an antibody to the pathogen.
17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the pathogen comprises a virus.
18. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein at least two attachment units of the two or more respective attachment units of each multi-bead complex of the plurality of multi-bead complexes are different from one another.
19. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the two or more respective attachment units of each multi-bead complex of the plurality of multi-bead complexes are configured to bind at different locations at the respective unit of the chemical component of the multi-bead complex.
20. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein at least two beads of the two or more respective beads of a first multi-bead complex of the plurality of multi-bead complexes differ in at least one of appearance, reflective characteristics, refractive characteristics, or transmissive characteristics, for the light originating at the light source.